Meeting of Bursars of the Institute
From October 9-12, the bursars of the Administrative Units of the Institute will gather at the Institute’s motherhouse, Notre-Dame de L’Hermitage, in France. It was there that, after founding the Institute in La Valla, St. Marcellin Champagnat saw a new horizon for the Little Brothers of Mary, the construction of the Hermitage in 1825. The meeting’s theme will be “From La Valla to L’Hermitage – Sustainability, Leadership and Innovation”.
Organized by the International Council for Economic Affairs (ICEA), the meeting will bring together 63 participants from all the Administrative Units of the Marist world. Brothers Luis Carlos GutiĂ©rrez and Ben Consigli will be present from the General Council. Brothers Jorge Gaio and Goyo Linacero and Flavia Angi will be present from the General Economat’s Office, together with the ICEA team. Brothers Luis Sobrado and Teofilo Minga will assist with translation.
“This meeting is an important moment to retrace the paths traveled by Champagnat“, says Brother Jorge Gaio, Econome General of the Institute. And referring to the meeting place and its construction 200 years ago, he adds, “It was not only a physical building, but all the mysticism and fraternity generated in the process, which marked that historic moment and the future of the Institute.”
Within this context, the ICEA team propose some objectives for the meeting:
- To deepen the spiritual experience that Champagnat lived from La Valla to L’Hermitage and to be nourished by it.
- To promote reflection on the viability and vitality of the Marist mission at the various levels of the Institute.
- Reflect and motivate on strategic and servant leadership that promotes vitality and professionalization in all areas of the mission to ensure the sustainability of the Institute.
- To reflect and dialogue on the emerging realities of the Institute in order to establish horizons for the future.
- To share experiences and processes helping the development of the existing realities in the Administrative Units in order to enrich each other.
- To promote coordination with the strategic initiatives of the Economato General in order to achieve greater effectiveness at all levels of the Institute.
The meeting will be followed by regional bursars’ meetings on October 13 and 14.